Gilligan's Test
by Doll Girl
Summary: Own no one. Set before Gilligan's Graduation. The first test the Professor gives Gilligan after taking him under his wing as a student. The teacher is just as nervous about the outcome as his student.


Roy sat at the table in the communal area waiting for Gilligan to finish the test he had given him. It was the first one since he'd taken Gilligan under his wing and made that promise that he'd help him get into college. He glanced at his hut door feeling nervous about grading it.

He wanted to encourage him. Wanted to prove to the boy that he was indeed smart in his own way. He also wanted to be fair but he feared crushing Gilligan's dreams.

He thought over the past few weeks. The Professor had quickly learned that Gilligan was a hands on learner. If he could touch it, see it, smell it, hear it, and at some times taste it he could commit it to memory. Sometimes it took a few tries but the end result was mostly positive.

He smiled though. Everyone rallied around the first mate and even began their own lessons resulting in quality time. Not only was Gilligan learning valuable skills that he had missed while growing up but they were all learning new things as well from Gilligan.

For instance, Gilligan had taught Roy the value of taking a break and even being a little silly. He learned to sometimes let loose and have fun. Instead of studying and researching to make their lives easier he learned how to actually live it and gain some confidence.

The confidence to ask Ginger to take a walk with him the other day. The way her eyes lit up when they linked arms lifted a burden off of his shoulders. They had talked for hours and, unlike with Erika Tiffany Smith, he enjoyed their conversation as they jumped from topic to topic. Ginger was sincere, sweet, and intelligent as well. Roy looked forward to spending more time with her.

Speaking of Ginger, she had been taking Gilligan to the stage and working on his shyness by giving him a poem to read. She made him speak louder and project his voice so he could be heard clearly. Roy remembered Ginger telling him that the Skipper had heard him and came to watch. Seeing him had made Gilligan nervous and that was when he began to trip up.

It wasn't the Skipper per se that was making him nervous. It was that he was so afraid of messing up that he unfortunately did. Upon figuring that out the captain sat him down and they had a long discussion. Ginger had left them alone but from what she did hear the Skipper had reassured Gilligan that no matter what happened he was proud of him and would stand by him. He would never fire him. He would never let him go.

Since then the capslaps and insults had stopped. Sure they bantered but the malice was completely gone. Sure they bickered but the fat jokes and the insults about Gilligan's intelligence were nonexistent.

Roy chuckled. Ok he lied. The captain had done a capslap earlier that day because Gilligan was so nervous about this test that he could scarcely eat. The Skipper had done it far more gently and afterwards had put his hands on Gilligan's shoulders and reassured him that he'd be fine. It got his attention and he calmed down.

The door finally opened and Gilligan stepped out. "I'm done Professor!"

Roy stood up and went over to him. "How do you think you did?"

Gilligan shrugged. "I'm not sure but I think I did ok."

He nodded and patted his shoulder. "I'll grade this and get it back to you soon ok?"

He nodded. "Anything you want me to do until then?" He grinned. "Look for a nice big apple?"

Roy chuckled and ruffled his hat clad head fondly. "I don't have anything for you to do."

"Ah but I do My Boy! How would you like to learn how to help the Skipper with his business and finances?"

They looked over seeing Mr Howell approach them. As usual his wife was right beside him.

"Gosh are you sure Mr Howell? I'm always careful with my money. What I make always goes towards bills. Hawaii's really expensive to live in," Gilligan said.

"Do you have anything in savings Gilligan? How about your future retirement?"

Gilligan blushed and shook his head. "Skipper and I live paycheck to paycheck sometimes when it's not tourist season."

Roy could tell that struck the millionaire right in the heart. In truth it struck him too. The two sailors worked hard and he had a feeling the Skipper kept some of their finance troubles to himself.

Mr Howell cleared his throat. "Well Gilligan...it's not too late to start." He lead Gilligan into the Howell hut.

Roy went inside his own and sat at the desk. He picked up his quill and looked at Gilligan's test. Turned out he got most of them right. He calculated the grade and wrote it down along with a letter. He then read the short essay he was asked to write.

The assignment had been to write about about animals. He wanted to see where that amazing connection came from.

Well the next thing they would work on was Gilligan's spelling. He'd always known that but it was even worse the more he read. It didn't take away from what he was reading. The connection had started when he was a boy with a mouse he had met while in his family's basement after a punishment. It moved to a lost turtle he had saved from being run over by a car. He had named him Herman and Herman lived under Gilligan's bed for a long time.

Until his brother found out and told his father. To protect Herman, Gilligan had taken him to a lake in a park and let him go.

He then talked about going to the zoo with Skinny Mulligan and his family. Somehow a bird had gotten free and he had charmed it down and gave it to the zookeeper, who had been in shock.

He then talked about going to an aquarium and falling in love with marine life and the ocean. His favorite were the dolphins. While there Mr Mulligan had told him about the Navy and how they could help pay for college and if he wanted he could go for a degree. When he left to join the Navy he met the Skipper and had told him. After the Skipper hired him as his first mate he had actually got to swim with dolphins when he had been unceremoniously thrown in the water among a family of them!

Roy grinned when he read that. He could see that happening!

He docked five points for spelling but overall gave him an "A". He factored that into the test grade and knew that the overall grade would prove encouraging to his friend and student.

At lunch he gave it to Gilligan in front of everybody. The first mate gulped in nervousness before he looked at it. His eyes went WIDE!

"Well? How'd you do Little Buddy?" Skipper asked.

Gilligan swallowed before looking up at the Professor with a new light in his eyes. "I got a "B"! I...I…"

Roy only smiled. "We're working on spelling next. With your imagination I can see you writing a childrens book!"

"You ok Gilligan?" Mary Ann asked smiling sweetly at her best friend.

The young sailor nodded. "Yeah for the first time in my life I feel like I'm smart!"

"You ARE smart," Roy said reaching over and touching the boy's arm. "You WILL go to college and I will be there to watch you march down that aisle for your diploma!"

"We all will!" Mrs Howell said smiling proudly.

"Every single one of us!" Ginger said smiling. "That's a promise!"

Gilligan smiled wetly as he looked back down at the first test he'd ever done well on. This meant more than he'd ever let on.

Although Roy could guess. "Take tomorrow off. Then we'll start on spelling."

"Thanks again Professor. I'm not sure how I'm gonna repay you. You have no idea…"

Roy only chuckled. "Oh I have more of an idea than you think. I'm a teacher. It's what I do. No repayment necessary."

He could see the wheels turning in Gilligan's head.

When he entered the supply hut he was surprised to find a small box waiting on him. He opened it to reveal a pearl and a note.

"Thank you for turning me from a speck of dust into a pearl. I'm glad you're my teacher. Gilligan."

Roy swallowed before smiling softly. As a teacher he was never supposed to have a favorite student.

He shamelessly declared that title to William Gilligan!


End file.
